He was king of England, but for centuries he lay without shroud or coffin in an unknown grave, and his name became a byword for villainy.On Monday, scientists announced they had rescued the remains of Richard III from anonymity _ and the monarch's fans hope a revival of his reputation will soon follow.In a dramatically orchestrated news conference, a team of archaeologists, geneticists, genealogists and other scientists from the University of Leicester announced that tests had proven what they s

BEIJING (AFP) ― The official mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party on Monday roundly rejected claims of hacking attacks from China by American media outlets, hinting instead at ulterior motives by the U.S.The People’s Daily article echoed vehement government rejections last week after the New York Times and Wall Street Journal linked Beijing to cyberattacks and the Washington Post accused Chinese hackers of targeting it. The reports added to rising concerns about Chinese hacking ― a U.S.

NEW DELHI (AFP) ― India’s president on Sunday approved harsher punishments for rapists, including the death penalty, after a brutal gang-rape in New Delhi sparked national outrage and triggered demands for tougher laws.President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the new rape law two days after cabinet ministers recommended changes to improve safety for women.“The Indian president has given his assent to the ordinance on crime against women. It comes into effect immediately but it will also be

CAIRO (AFP) ― Egypt’s top court on Sunday postponed a ruling on the legality of the Islamist-dominated commission that drafted a contested new constitution, state media reported. A verdict on the constitution, adopted by referendum in December, had been due on Sunday but the Supreme Constitutional Court adjourned its decision until March 3, the reports said.A verdict had been expected on Dec. 2 but was delayed after supporters of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi surrounded the court, preventing

MADRID (AFP) ― The leader of Spain’s opposition Socialist party called on Sunday for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to resign amid a damaging corruption scandal.“Rajoy should give up his role as the head of government (because) he cannot tackle the very difficult situation confronting Spain,” Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told reporters.Spain’s centre-left newspaper El Pais published account ledgers purportedly showing that donations were channeled into secret payments to Rajoy and other top party offic

ASUNCION (AP) ― Paraguayan presidential candidate Lino Cesar Oviedo has been killed in a helicopter crash, authorities said Sunday, ending a dramatic political career that included coups and repeated attempts to lead this impoverished 6.5 million-person country. Oviedo was returning with his bodyguard from a political rally in northern Paraguay Saturday night when his pilot encountered bad weather. All three were killed in the crash, said Johnny Villalba, a spokesman for Paraguay’s airport autho

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― John Kerry spoke with world leaders, including those representing Israel and the Palestinians, in his first phone calls as the new U.S. secretary of state, officials said Sunday.Kerry, the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, replaced Hillary Clinton on Friday.America’s new top diplomat spoke with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.On Sunday, he also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Be

SINGAPORE ― A gene variation which shows up in about 15 percent of East Asians does not surface at all in Caucasians and Africans.Singapore researchers have uncovered why a group of drugs that works well on certain lung and blood cancers does poorly on some patients here, and hope to soon start trials for a new treatment.The culprit: a gene variation which shows up in about 15 percent of East Asians but does not surface at all in Caucasians and Africans.The problem can potentially be overcome by

A group of youngsters in China were fined after they danced South Korean pop sensation Psy’s “horse-riding” dance on the freeway, Chinese media reported Monday.According to Chinese tabloid newspaper “Wangbo,” a car abruptly stopped in the middle of freeway in Yunnan province on Wednesday, from which an unidentified group of people emerged.The group, comprised of people who appeared to be in their 20s, started dancing Psy’s world-famous dance, which lasted for approximately 40 minutes.Local polic